...and Millions will die! - Richard Basehart (1973) - View from Ocean Terminal

It's not the first time we have seen this view on a film  (for example: Amaya, Black Cobra Woman, Love in Hong Kong). In this movie we get a panning shot here as the film's name is displayed during the opening credits.

...and Millions will die! - Richard Basehart (1973) - Rumsey Street carpark

Just when you think you have run out of films, one appears that you feel you should already have known about it a long time ago. So next up we have ...and millions will die!, a 1973 Australian TV movie that was a pilot for a series that never was. It stars Richard Basehart (his second appearance in Hong Kong, and on this blog, following the earlier Visa to Canton) as Dr Pruit, some sort of Australian-based investigator into chemical weapons. He is called to a gas poisoning incident in a small Asian territory in the midst of a civil war and the incident leads him and his team to Hong Kong where a former Nazi chemist has planted a time bomb attached to some cannisters of the same poison gas.

It's a bit of a weird film that pretends several Singapore locations are actually in Hong Kong (for example, the Tiger Balm Gardens sequences were filmed at Haw Par Gardens in Singapore, not Hong Kong) but there are some interesting locations to see and I like it when obscure films like this show upon my radar, regardless of quality. It also includes Leslie Nielsen in the first of his two outings (that I know of) to Hong Kong. You may remember he was also in Blade in Hong Kong.

I've managed to get hold of a slightly better definition version from some nefarious corner of the internet and uploaded it to Youtube here, so please feel free to go and watch.

The film starts with long drawn out sequence that turns out to be a dream, as two gunmen meet in a carpark and make their way to their target. The carpark is the Rumsey Street carpark on the Sheung Wan waterfront.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - O'Brien Road, Wanchai

Watching the film, I thought this next shot was supposed to be the view from Josie's window in the apartment where she is employed, but perhaps it was just a transitional shot for the sequence where her employers callously cancel her holiday, take her passport and then lock her in their apartment while they go off on their own holiday.

Anyway, this image shows the view looking south along Thomson Road/O'Brien Road and so was most definitely captured from the walkway/footbridge above Wanchai MTR station. We've been in this area a couple of times in the last few months (Crossing Hennessy, Hafen der Düfte).

This lower image is from the opening sequence and shows a view along the footbridge but next to where it crosses Gloucester Road.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Winner Building, Happy Valley

Josie is employed (and therefore lives) with a family in the Winner Building next to the Happy Valley Tram Terminus. She gets off the tram to go home and walks through the building's main entrance. The 7-11 is still there, by the way.

Happy Valley Tram Terminus

We later see Josie wistfully looking out of the window of the apartment following her incarceration by her employers. The blue paint scheme on the outside of the building was removed (according to historical Streetview imagery) sometime between 2011 - 2016 when the building was renovated.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Johnston Road, Wanchai

Josie waits for a tram home and is barged out of the way as she goes to get on. In the background you can see the circular front of the old Chung Wui Apartment building on the corner of Wanchai and Johnston Roads which means we are on Johnston Road in this image.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

Here's a nice image of the section of Gloucestr Road between O'Brien Road and Stewart Road. The low, white building on the left was the former Hong Kong Exhibition Centre that was knocked down about 10 years ago and replaced by the funky looking St Regis Hotel. The China Resources Building behind it also looks far more funky these days with an complete external renovation using copious amounts of glass. The pillars on the left are the ground floor of Central Plaza and this shot was captured from the footbridge at the end of O'Brien Road (this one).

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Des Voeux Road Central

More opening sequence shows this view of the main junction between Des Voeux Road Central, Pedder Street, Chater Road and Connaught Place. The corner of Worldwide House can be seen on the right and Des Voeux Road continues into the distance to the right of frame.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Victoria Park

Some more of the opening scenes as we see a bunch of Hong Kongers doing their morning exercises in Victoria Park with the Central Library (note, Central Library is not located in Central, but in Causeway Bay in Wanchai District) in the background.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Star Ferry Pier, Tsim Sha Tsui

Another scene from the opening montage includes a shot of the ferries at the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier. It's a brief glimpse, but thankfully later in the film there is also some footage of the same area as Josie's friends wait for her on her day off not knowing she has been locked inside the apartment by her employers whilst they go on a jolly (lower images).

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - View from The Peak

How about a Filipino film for a change? I've been on the lookout for an old Filipino film called Hongkong Honeymoon for many many years. It stars Zaldy Zshornack and (from some clips I have seen) features some nice 1960 B&W scenery from around Hong Kong. Sadly, it appears to be completely out of existence and I've had no luck. If anyone knows where a copy might be found, please feel free to comment.

In the meantime, here is another Filipino film of more recent vintage and one that is perhaps more relatable to the many Filipino domestic helpers who work and live in Hong Kong. Anak tells the story of Josie (Vilma Santos) who leaves the Philippines to come to Hong Kong to earn more money, but it's at the expense of the relationship with her children who resent her absence and misunderstand why she has left them. Things are made worse when her husband dies and she is unable to return for his funeral - let's just say that her Hong Kong employers aren't the nicest of people. Much of the story is set back in the Philippines where Josie returns after several years to reunite with her children. However, there are still a few scenes shot in Hong Kong that make it worthy of including on the blog.

The film was available to watch on Youtube via the official channel of Star Cinema who also produced it, but since I watched it just a few weeks ago it has been removed. You may get more luck searching their channel directly.

The film opens with Josie narrating about her life in Hong Kong over a variety of images of the place starting with this one taken from Lugard Road around the top of the Peak.

Heisser Hafen Hongkong - Horst Frank (1962) - Far East Mansion, Middle Road

Another pandemic find that never made the blog is this image from Heisser Hafen Hongkong. It shows a shop facade decorated like a Chinese temple and the misleading name of Plaza House had me scratching my head for where it could be. Luckily, regular Gwulo'er Moddsey was able to identify this location courtesy of his huge catalogue of old Hong Kong photos and he told me this was a tailor business located on the ground floor of Far East Mansions on Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. It's a while since I watched this film but I think it was supposed to be the business run by the film's antagonist, Marek (Horst Frank).

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Junction of Johnston and Luard Roads, Wanchai

A result of a recent rewatch is this post. To be honest, I'm not sure why I didn't post it first time around (back in 2012!) so I guess it was just missed.

This is where Rizzo wanders to whilst looking for an address. He asks a pedicab driver for directions but then reluctantly accepts a ride. As far as I am aware, Hong Kong never had pedicabs, only rickshaws, but I could by wrong. Pedicabs were used in Macau though. They also appear to be a thing in London these days, replete with full volume music being blasted into your ears as you travel (can you tell I don't like them?).

7 Aum Arivu - Suriya (2011) - Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui

The final location from this mid-film song is the Avenue of Stars - or at least the previous version of it because it was "upgraded" (in HK terms, this usually means made worse) around the time Covid hit. New World development closed it down to allow access to the site works where the New World Centre was being demolished. As usual the google marker is snapping to nearby buildings rather than the "avenue" but I figure most people will know where it is.

7 Aum Arivu - Suriya (2011) - Cyberport 3, Pokfulam

I've covered exactly two Indian films on this blog and both have filmed around Cyberport. Aegan filmed outside, but this film included some shots within Tower 3 as part of the ongoing song. I don't recall seeing this as a location prior to these films. I've got more locations out of this one song in this film than I have for some complete movies. 

7 Aum Arivu - Suriya (2011) - Central Pier No.9

Yes, they are still dancing and singing. This time we're at Central Pier No.9. Coincidentally, the same location where one of the news reports was filmed earlier in the film (see bottom image). The last time we were here was for Something Good, although that was shot/released two years after this.

7 Aum Arivu - Suriya (2011) - Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui

Any tourist worth their salt will automatically recognise the exterior of the HK Cultural Centre here, with the diagonal columns forming a nice bit of shade from Hong Kong's hot summer sun. It's a shame the rest of the building is so damn fugly.

7 Aum Arivu - Suriya (2011) - Kowloon Public Pier, Tsim Sha Tsui

The singing and dancing goes on (and on...and on) but now were are under the Tsim Sha Tsui elevated promenade next to the public pier area.

7 Aum Arivu - Suriya (2011) - Harbour Grand Hotel, North Point

Another set of shots from the "Mun Andhi" song part of the film were filmed on the roof of the Harbour Grand Hotel Hong Kong in North Point.

7 Aum Arivu - Suriya (2011) - West Kowloon

Most of this film's Hong Kong locations feature during the performance of a song called "Mun Andhi" which appears to have been shot completely in the city.

The sequence kicks off at the West Kowloon waterfront (note the familiar shell-shaped tunnel ventilation building in the background of the first image) before moving to a variety of other locations around Hong Kong. The large sign they are standing on in the last image says "West Kowloon Cultural District". I'm not sure if it's still standing.

7 Aum Arivu - Suriya (2011) - Two International Finance Centre

In this film, the location of the neighbouring country's security office is located in the IFC2 tower. We only have an external establishing shot for this though as the interior filmed in a studio set.

7 Aum Arivu - Suriya (2011) - Victoria Harbour

Continuing with a look at another form of International movie, from the Indian subcontinent, here is a Tamil movie called 7 Aum Arivua. The story revolves around the resurrection of the Buddha in modern day India to help fight off a nefarious plan, by a certain neighbouring country, to introduce a deadly disease into India. I guess it's indicative of India's fractious relation ship with the said neighbour that the industry has no qualms directly casting them as the antagonists.

The film is available to watch on Youtube at the current time, so just do a search.

Although not the first Hong Kong shot seen in this film the main establishing shot for the "Beijing" scene is actually Victoria Harbour. That's North Point in the background.

Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog! - Sammo Hung (1978) - nr Wong Chuk Yeung, Sai Kung

Here we are back again at another of the popular filming locations from 70s- and 80s-era kung fu movies. This is near the fire lookout at Wong Chuk Yeung. As explained recently, it's completely overgrown now and unrecognisable, but you can get reasonably close via a nearby trail. This is where the fight between Tiger, Frog and White Brow Monk (Lee Hoi-sang) takes place.

View to Three Fathoms Cove in the background